


don't leave me (tongue tied)

by potterheading



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Boys In Love, But not in the kinky way, Draco Malfoy Has Issues, Established Relationship, Fluff, Football | Soccer, Harry Potter is a Good Boyfriend, High School, House Party, Ice Cream, Jock Harry Potter, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, No Smut, Overstimulation, Self-Indulgent, Smart Draco Malfoy, Social Anxiety, Sorry to disappoint, Swearing, and fanfiction is my escape, because I am an America high schooler, but its okay, lowercase intentional, purrr, they're American high schoolers, they're so cute, tongue tied by group love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potterheading/pseuds/potterheading
Summary: he’s not sure what it is that sets him off - or if it’s just a combination of all the noise, lights, and bodies around him, but suddenly it’s all too much.“i have to go,” he bursts, standing suddenly. harry looks up at him, freezing mid-laugh, his joy contorting to confusion. “i’m sorry, i need to go.”-in which draco goes to a party (and quickly regrets it).
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 11
Kudos: 132





	don't leave me (tongue tied)

**Author's Note:**

> hiya! thanks for clicking <3
> 
> just warning this is pure self-indulgence...  
> my obsession w/ doing well in school as well as general social awkwardness kinda ruined my high school experience (and now COVID is taking away my senior year :D), so this is just me writing about what i wish it could've been like 
> 
> i wanted to write a high school au! but i'm american so therefore they are american high schoolers in an unidentified suburb for the purpose of this story thanks very much 
> 
> okie dokie that's all i hope u enjoy! 
> 
> all feedback, kudos, bookmarks, and comments r heavily appreciated

“god, i’m so fucking tired,” ron groans, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. from what harry could gather, his older brothers who were home from college on winter break were taking every opportunity to terrorize him, and had woken him up very early this morning with a spider in his bed. “i’m gonna get them back, just watch,” 

“‘m sure you will, ron.” harry said, grabbing him by his shoulders to steer him away from the open locker he had nearly stumbled into. an idea pops into his head, and a devilish grin spreads across his face. “how about we skip last period?” 

“you want to skip snape?” ron asked incredulously. “a week before midterms? are you crazy?” 

“we can just borrow the notes from draco and hermione,” harry says, elbowing ron. “c’mon aren’t you tired? a chemistry class will just put you to sleep. and i’m hungry, we can go grab something to eat.” 

ron hummed, seemingly thinking hard. his situation was very different from harry’s - he currently had a very low C in chemistry, and the midterm was the only thing that would bring his grade up enough. harry, on the other hand, had a B+ and an honor roll boyfriend that got off on revising for tests. 

harry pushed through the heavy cafeteria doors, laughing softly to himself as ron seriously weighed his options. he made a beeline directly for the table where he knew he would find his friends and boyfriend. it was a quieter table, positioned somewhat beneath the sun so that it’s occupants could warm up after spending hours inside of the freezing school classrooms. sure enough, draco malfoy sat with hermione granger, biting into a crisp apple and tapping a pen against a notebook as he chatted with them. 

hermione spotted him and ron first, and she smiled politely in greeting, raising a hand in greeting while nodding along to draco’s rant. harry interrupted him with a gentle kiss to the crown of his head, placing his hands on his shoulder and squeezing comfortingly. it phased draco only for a second, before he continued. 

“ - and then he had the nerve to argue that adam smith would be pleased with the twenty-first century version of capitalism… it’s the stupidest shit i’ve ever heard in my entire life.” he scoffed, taking a forceful bite of his apple. instinctually, he reached up and laced his fingers through harry’s, relaxing into his body as he did. “hi there,” he says softly, looking up at him. 

harry smiles back - he wants nothing more than to kiss draco but he knows that it makes him uncomfortable. so he smiles, and squeezes his hand, and then goes to sit on the edge of the table, grabbing a french fry from hermione’s plate and popping it into his mouth. 

“what’s up, ‘mione?” he greets her, reaching over to poke her cheek. she smiles but slaps his hand away - it’s the same everyday, this comfortable routine. 

“we were just talking about the stupid shit goldstein said today in ap gov,” draco supplies, his voice already hardening again. “he’s so dumb, i swear i don’t know how he got into the class. i know that binns loves nuanced discussions, but i’ve never met someone so willing to play the contrarian so often. i wouldn’t be surprised if he actually believes half of the bullshit he spews.”

“have you ever considered not approaching every class as an opportunity to sharpen your debate skills?” ron asks, already slinking into the seat beside hermione. his posture is familiar - and everyone at the table already knows that he’s about to (once again) horribly fumble an attempt to ask hermione on a date. it’s the same every time - she blushes and brushes him off (despite obviously being infatuated with him), and he slinks away to lick his wounds and develop another terrible tactic to try and get her to go out with him. “people wouldn’t argue with you as much if you weren’t always so eager for an argument.” 

“well that’s just dumb,” draco responds, rolling his eyes. “why would i do that?” 

harry snorts softly as ron ignores draco’s retort, turning to hermione instead and beginning to speak to her softly. out of the corner of his eye, he sees ron reach up to push a piece of her wild curly hair from her face. it springs right back into place, but the sentiment isn’t lost on hermione, who smiles sheepishly and looks down at the table. 

“so,” harry says to draco, turning away a bit to give his friends privacy. “ron and i were thinking about skipping chemistry to go grab something to eat… would you be interested in coming with us?” as harry says it he leans forward, grabbing at draco’s hand and giving it a small squeeze. 

he’s a naturally affectionate person - at least, that’s what his mother told him all the time. he loved showing that he loved those around him with hugs, claps on the back, and kisses (although these were reserved mainly for draco). not being able to touch draco as much as he desired sometimes hurt, but harry understood that it was for the best. 

nobody really bothered them about their relationship at school anymore - the homophobes who disagreed with his sexual preference always seemed to be able to excuse it, as long as he continued to bring home trophies. for the past four years, harry had played as center forward for the school’s soccer team - his powerful kick and alluring grin had made it hard to find valid reasons to dislike him. the few who still couldn’t get past his relationship with draco didn’t dare voice their opinion - following an infamous fist fight in the cafeteria during their sophomore year that had ended with harry being dragged away by three of his teammates and the bigot lying in the courtyard, bleeding profusely. 

draco wasn’t nearly as confident in his sexuality as harry. the homophobia that had been drilled into him by his parents had been difficult to overcome and had nearly poisoned his relationship in the beginning. even after three and a half years with harry, he was still wildly uncomfortable with anything more than a few seconds of contact - and kissing in public was strictly off limits. 

“you want to skip chemistry the week before the midterm?” draco asks, blinking at harry. it’s eerily similar to the way that ron had asked him the same question, and he wonders again how these two aren’t better friends. 

“did i mention that we’d be getting food?” harry tries, waggling his eyebrows. behind him, hermione lets out a burst of laughter and a snort - harry doesn’t have to turn around to know that ron’s face must be as red as his hair. 

“you did. did i mention that midterms are next week?” draco smiles as he speaks, leaning forward and wrapping his hand around harry’s index finger. it’s not much, but it sends fireworks through both of their bodies. “and i won’t be taking the test for you, no matter how much you beg.” 

before harry can think of a witty response - four years of speech and debate have made draco much sharper than harry can ever hope to be - they’re interrupted. dean thomas approaches them, flanked by seamus finnegan and ginny weasley - all decked out in their identical lettermen jackets. ginny is the captain of the girls soccer team (and was harry’s first girlfriend in middle school - although that’s not important). they talk loudly as they approach and it’s obvious that to them, the rest of the world doesn’t exist. 

draco groans softly as they all take seats at the table, dumping their heavy bags and water jugs into a pile before sliding to sit on top of the table in a fashion that mirrors harry’s. It’s not that he doesn’t like them - the team is sweet and supportive, but so ridiculously _ loud  _ and _ overwhelming  _ that he can only handle them in small groups for smaller periods of time. 

unfortunately - they seem to attract each other like magnets, and within minutes both the male and female soccer teams have found their way to their quiet, secluded corner. they chatter loudly over each other - laughing and shoving and drawing attention from everyone who passes. 

“guys,” dean calls loudly, and a hush falls over the group. he stands, still staring down at his phone as he addresses the small crowd. “my mom’s working overnight and won’t be home till tomorrow morning -” 

the rest of his sentence is drowned out as roars of approval echo from the students. harry joins in, whooping loudly until he makes eye contact with draco, who is visibly cringing. he grabs his bag from pile and shoulders it, standing and extending his hand to draco. he doesn’t take it, but he stands, grabbing his own bag and quickly making his break from the table. as harry follows him, he’s called back by dean, who’s noticed his attempted escape. 

“will you be there tonight, harry?” he asks, waving his phone. 

“we’ll see,” harry responds, catching draco’s eye. it’s obvious that he disproves, but it’s unlikely he’ll say anything against it. harry has a way of making things just work - whether that means getting drunk and then waking up with no hangover, or spending ridiculous amounts of time doing anything but schoolwork and still pulling through with an above average GPA. he turns to draco as they walk away, grinning down at him. “you should come tonight,” 

“no, thank you.” he says immediately, fishing his own cell phone from his pocket. 

“stop by for just a minute,” harry says, elbowing him softly. “we can spend all weekend studying, i promise.” 

draco hesitates for a moment. harry is an unusually good study partner - even better than hermione. their study sessions are some of draco’s favorite moments from their relationship - sat on harry’s bed with a bowl of snacks and flashcards and textbooks between them. additionally, harry sometimes kisses draco when he gets something right - but of course this has nothing to do with his perspective shift. 

“maybe.” he says, looking up to watch the smile spread across harry’s face. he drinks the sight in hungrily, savoring the way his eyes scrunch as his grin takes over his entire face. “i’ll come to the party if you don’t skip chemistry.” 

at this, harry groans loudly and grabs draco’s arm, pulling him into an empty hallway. he wastes no time pushing him into the wall and connecting their lips, his hands coming to rest on draco’s cheeks. 

“whatever you say, mom.” harry says when he pulls away, their foreheads still connected. it’s rare that they’re able to do things like this in school - and it’s a miracle that draco hasn’t pushed him away yet. 

“you don’t kiss your mother like that,” draco murmurs, kissing harry once more - except this time its soft, and subtle. 

the bell sounds and they immediately pull apart, adjusting their clothing and grinning shyly at each other. 

“chemistry, potter.” he says firmly, fixing him with a glare that’s reminiscent of the one his mother gives him frequently. “now.” 




when draco arrives to the party, it’s already in full swing. 

a few people was a gross understatement - although a part of him had already expected this. the door to thomas’ home is wide open, and there are people spilling out of the house, chatting on the porch and holding cups and bottles in their hands. 

at the door, pansy pecks his chin before disappearing towards the kitchen, murmuring something about finding one neville longbottom. 

inside, the main cast crowds around the sofa - even more in their element. the way that they interact with each other is a marvel - they move fluidly and comfortably… effortlessly cool. 

seamus stands before the group, gesticulating wildly as he tells a story about him accidentally blowing up his microwave. dean sits on the floor before the sofa, sipping from a water bottle and looking up at seamus with a fond expression - one that draco had seen in himself many times before. fred and george - ron’s twin brothers who had been on the team last year have returned to an adoring crowd. angelina johnson sits with them, tucked beneath george’s arm and talking animatedly to lee and fred, who flank them on either side. ginny sits beside hermione, her knees drawn to her chest as she barks with laughter, her bright hair flying about as her head flashes from side to side. hermione sits quietly, looking as out of place as draco usually feels. on her other side is ron, who oscillates between grinning at hermione and seamus. 

harry sits in the middle of it all, laughing loudly at seamus’ antics and seemingly glowing.

when he looks up, his eyes watering, his smile stretches impossibly wide. he stands to receive draco, stretching his arms wide and beckoning him forward. draco moves to stand beside him, nearly reaching up to kiss him before hesitating, and instead brushing his lips against harry’s cheek before smiling at the rest of the group and taking his seat between harry and ron. 

“‘m glad you came,” harry says softly, leaning into draco and lacing their fingers together. here, surrounded by people who would quite literally beat up anyone who had something negative to say, it was okay to be close. 

“what have i missed?” he asks. it seems as if they’ve already moved on to another topic, although most of the group have dissolved into smaller conversations. 

“nothing of consequence,” harry turns, pulling his knee up and positioning his elbow so that he can turn his body completely towards draco. his face is soft, and open, and it makes draco’s heart throb uncomfortably in his chest. he loves to stare at harry - to drink in his bottle green eyes and his sharp jawline. the scar on his forehead, a relic of his first (and last) time playing goalie in elementary school, and his soft, pink lips. he’s beautiful, and it takes everything in draco to not caress his every feature, feeling them beneath his fingertips and memorizing every curve of his face. “like what you see?” harry asks cheekily, his signature grin spreading across his face. 

“you know i do,” draco says softly, squeezing harry’s hand gently. he doesn’t let go this time. 

for a while, all is well - they chat quietly about the tv show that they’ve been watching together - draco is a bit further than harry but he doesn’t let it slip. every few minutes, someone calls for harry’s attention, and he gives it to them for a bit, but he always comes back to draco with a shy smile and an “as i was saying…”. 

then the music gradually gets louder, and the house becomes even more crowded. draco recognizes most of his classmates as they file through the door - and what a mixture they make. the casual stoners and hippies stroll in alongside the honor roll kids on adderall - and the basketball team comes in with the theater kids, and so on and so forth, until there are bodies everywhere, and the music can barely be heard over the din of nearly a hundred high school students laughing and talking with their friends. 

someone had bought alcohol - and the room now reeked of it. harry sips at a lemonade, as do the rest of his teammates - but outside of where they hold court on the couch, liquor sloshes freely from cups, making everything louder and messier. 

fred and george are now the center of everyone’s attention - they loudly and enthusiastically tell stories about their first semester at university, and the more future-oriented students lean forward, captivated, peppering them with questions and practically taking notes. harry also listens in, effectively ending their private conversation, although his fingers stay laced with draco’s. 

a loud “turn the fucking music up!” is what sets things off. whoever is deejaying obliges, and then _ tongue tied _ is blasting through the house. nearly everyone is on their feet, jumping and singing loudly. the lights flash in time with the music, flickering on and off at a dizzying pace. students wrap their arms around each other - smiling and wallowing in the euphoria of it all. 

draco knows how they feel - a large portion of them are seniors, and are eagerly soaking up every ounce of this moment, so that they have something to look back on fondly, separate form all of the exams and stress that is normally associated with high school and senior year. a part of him wishes that he could partake, could grab a cup of jungle juice juice and throw his arms around someone’s shoulders. that he could grab harry by his shirt front and kiss him hard, the way that hermione did to ron about an hour ago. he wishes that he could be carefree, could experience adolescence the way that it’s meant to be - unmarred by anxiety and useless worrying. 

but he can’t - he won’t. 

anxiety settles in his stomach like a heavy anchor, keeping him in place - regardless of whether he would like to move or not. it wraps a heavy hand around his throat, making it hard to breathe and practically impossible to talk. the sudden urge to flee - to run screaming all the way home, until he can curl up beneath his duvet and not emerge until he doesn’t feel like he’s literally about to fucking  _ die.  _

draco hardly notices when harry pulls his hand away - gesturing wildly to his friends as he describes something in detail. the story sounds familiar, and he thinks that he was there for it, but he can’t make out the specifics of it as his find fogs alarmingly. he sits silently as his heart pounds, methodically rubbing his pointer finger against the rough skin on the side of his thumb. 

across the room, ginny weasley is singing loudly and dancing - there are people surrounding her, all eager for a piece, but the spotlight is obviously on her. she whips around, her eyes closing as she completely loses herself. as she twirls once more, she knocks into a flowerpot perched on a windshield, which promptly falls to the ground and shatters loudly. she, along with her entourage, laugh loudly, and even dean chuckles as he takes in her shocked expression and apologetic smile. 

beside him, harry collapses back into his seat dramatically, before bursting forward again, jostling draco unexpectedly. 

he’s not sure what it is that sets him off - or if it’s just a combination of all the noise, lights, and bodies around him, but suddenly it’s all too much. 

“i have to go,” he bursts, standing suddenly. harry looks up at him, freezing mid-laugh, his joy contorting to confusion. “i’m sorry, i need to go.” 

before harry can stop him, he flees - moving rapidly up the stairs and to relative safety. 




“is draco alright?” hermione asks, sounding slightly out of breath. her lips are swollen and pink, and her hair is well-mussed. beside her, ron grins like an idiot, his cheeks and lips also pink. 

“‘m not sure,” harry murmurs, standing and putting down his cup. “i’ll be back.” 

“please, not in my room!” dean calls after him. harry grins, flipping him off before rushing up the stairs as well. 

harry pushes open the first door he sees, but quickly finds that it’s already occupied. sitting inside the bathtub, peering down at a deck of tarot cards spread across the thick rim of the tub and sipping from a bottle of wine is parvati patil - she glares up at harry as he bursts into the bathroom. lavender brown is sitting cross legged in front of the tub, staring down at the cards with equal intensity - she doesn’t even notice harry’s entrance. on the toilet, padma patil smokes a joint and seems to be deep in conversation with luna lovegood, who is somehow sitting in the bathroom sink and applying glitter to her eyelids with the tips of her fingers. 

“hiya, harry!” luna says happily, blinking at him owlishly in the mirror. 

“hey luna,” he smiles, backing out of the bathroom slowly. “ladies, sorry about that.” 

the next door he tries is a utility closet, and then one more that’s locked. he knocks gently at this one, pressing his ear to the door and listening for any signs of life. 

there’s another couple in the hallway, grappling at each other and moaning quite loudly into each other’s mouths - when harry fixes them with a glare they sheepishly scamper off, leaving him alone. 

“occupied,” comes draco’s garbled voice. it’s quiet and fragile, and it makes harry’s heart pang uncomfortably. 

“draco, it’s me,” harry says, putting his hand to the door. “are you okay?” 

there’s a few moments of hesitation, and then the click of the door unlocking sounds, and draco pulls it open and grabs for harry’s wrist, pulling him inside. 

draco’s hair is disheveled and his eyes are red - he looks a bit manic and harry wants nothing more than to pull him into his chest and comfort him. however, he had experienced draco’s anxious attacks first-hand only a few times, and had quickly learned exactly what not to. despite how much he wanted to, the worst thing he could do at this moment was reach and touch draco. 

“i’m okay,” he murmurs after a moment, looking down at the ground and rubbing his arms methodically. “i’m just… overstimulated. it was too much, down there. i needed less.” 

harry was pretty sure that draco was one of the smartest people he knew, second only to maybe hermione. however, at times like these he seemed to completely lose touch with the side of him that could solve complex math equations in seconds. 

“okay,” harry says softly, sinking to the ground in front of the door. “what do you need me to do?” 

“the lights,” he whispered, sitting down a few feet away from harry. “turn them off,” 

harry obeyed, reaching up and flicking off the lights. he couldn’t see draco anymore, but could both feel his presence and hear him. he was counting to 10 slowly, over and over again, his breathing getting calmer with each rep. 

he wishes that he he could do more - could hug and soothe the anxiety out of draco. after they had first gotten together and draco had given harry a laundry list of things that were “wrong with him”, he had done crazy amounts of research so that he could better understand where he was coming from. 

for days, harry had read up on grounding techniques, sensory intervention, providing validation without enabling, along with dozens of other ways that he could make draco feel safer when irrational thoughts invaded. 

still, it wasn’t enough. knowing that draco was in pain - physically or emotionally, hurt harry in ways he still found difficult to describe. it made him feel helpless, and angry at the idea of not being able to do anything to ease his lovers suffering. 

after a few moments of silence, the lights flickered back on. 

“i’m sorry,” draco murmured, extending a hand to harry to pull him up. “i knew this would happen… i shouldn’t have come.” 

“don’t apologize, draco,” harry said, rubbing his arm. he itched to pull draco into him. “it’s okay,” 

“no, it’s not,” he snapped, turning away. “this is anything but okay. i can’t believe i - fuck... just forget it.” 

“can i hug you?” harry asked, his eyes trained on the tense line draco’s shoulders. when draco nodded jerkily, harry immediately moved to him, pulling draco into his arms and sighing contentedly. their position is reminiscent of earlier today, at lunch - and draco even reaches up and grabs harry hand. his own hands tremble lightly, and it makes harry hold him even tighter. 

“i think i should go,” draco says softly after a few moments. he laughs wetly and hangs his head, “god, i fucking hate parties.” 

“i’ll take you home,” harry says quickly. he fishes his keys out of his pocket and holds them up, smiling. “c’mon.” 

“harry, no. you shouldn’t miss the party because of me,” he says, although harry is already lacing their fingers together and pulling him out of the door. “i can ask pansy for a ride, she only came here to creep on neville longbottom, anyways”

“i’m not listening to anything you’re saying!” harry yells back to him as they reach the living room - where the music is still blasting and their peers are still dancing. as they pass the couch a few of harry’s friends whoop and holler. they both know what it looks like - with draco’s flushed cheeks and rumpled hair - but neither of them care very much. 




they climb into harry’s car - a black lexus is350 - and immediately pull away from the party - the flashing lights and loud music fading as they get farther down the street. draco loves driving with harry - the view from the passenger seat as harry focuses on the road before him while simultaneously fiddling with the volume button and maintaining a conversation with draco. 

“do you want to go home now?” harry asks softly, looking over at draco for a second before refocusing on the road. “or can we hang out for a bit?” 

“no, this is fine,” draco says, pulling his legs into the car seat and sitting back a bit. the tension that he had felt less than fifteen minutes ago is already melting away - and simply being in harry’s presence, alone, is relaxing him impossibly. 

“are you feeling better now?” 

harry continues to pepper draco gently with questions concerning his mental state - but they endear rather than annoy him. it’s his way of showing that he cares, and the soft looks he continues to throw draco every few minutes do wonders to warm his heart. 

“i’m with you,” draco says, smiling at harry and reaching over to touch his cheek. “i’m okay.” 

when he pulls into a coldstone a thrill runs through draco - their first date had been an ice cream date, and it had ended with harry kissing draco on the cheek as he blushed, his lips freezing but his smile warm. 

they order as soon as they’re inside, draco pressing himself against the glass and peering down at the variety of flavors. as per their usual ritual, draco picks for both of them and pays for both cones. for harry, he picks two scoops of the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream - no toppings - and a cheesecake ice cream, topped with strawberries, chocolate shavings, and a graham cracker pie crust for himself. 

when they get back in the car, grinning wildly and lapping at their cones, harry hands draco his own before starting up the car again. 

“where are we going?” draco asks, “and won’t your ice cream melt?” 

“not if i go fast enough,” harry winks, before swiveling in his seat and reversing the car out of its space. 

sure enough, they reach their second destination within five minutes - and draco is immediately overwhelmed. harry seems to have taken them to a dark playground - one with a broken swing and bright yellow monkey bars. 

“is there a reason why we’re here?” draco asks, handing harry his dripping cone. he takes it gratefully and bites into it - ignoring draco’s cringe as he does. 

“no,” harry says between licks. “i like this place. i like ice cream. i like you. wanted to be surrounded by things that i like.” 

draco blushes at this but doesn’t respond, instead focusing on finishing his own ice cream before it melts into a sticky puddle in his lap. for the next few minutes, they talk aimlessly - although harry dominates the conversation as he rambles on, giving draco the time to both eat his ice cream and fully destress from his attack earlier. 

draco sits back - content - as harry regales a story about his uncles who had apparently adopted a random stray dog before realizing that they had actually stolen someone else’s dog on accident. he snorts his way through it - sometimes stopping to simply shake with laughter for a few moments. 

“i love your laugh,” draco says at one point while harry tries to catch his breath. his forehead is pressed against the steering wheel as he wheezes. he still hasn’t been able to get through the entire story because he keeps stopping to laugh, but draco thinks that he would sit through segments of the story a hundred more times, if only harry promises to keep smiling. he reaches over and wipes a drop of ice-cream from harry’s top lip and sucks it off, smiling at harry himself. “i love seeing you happy.” 

“i love you,” harry responds offhandedly. as the words slip out of his mouth, he freezes for a moment, before gulping audibly and turning to look at draco. the look of caution on his face slowly turns to a small smile as he stares across at draco, awaiting his response. 

“harry, you don’t have to say that,” draco responds quietly. he blushes and looks down at his lap, curling his empty hand into a fist. “just because i said… you don’t have to. not now. the moment isn’t right.” 

“fuck that,” harry snaps back, unbockling his seat belt as he leans across the console. his eyes are hard and serious as he stares down at draco. “i don’t care about any of that stuff. i meant what i said draco. i love you. i have for a while, i just… didn’t know how to say it.” 

the flush on draco’s body is unbearable, and he feels himself growing hot the longer harry’s eyes are trained on the side of his head. he itches to pull of the sweater, but he hadn’t worn anything under it and it would probably just give harry the wrong idea about what kind of moment they were having. 

first i love you’s are a big deal - draco knows that much. it’s not a sentiment that is to be shared with just any and everybody. you're supposed to save your  _ i love you’ _ s for people who deserve it, for people who make your heart sing like a canary. 

draco closes his eyes - but behind his eyelids he sees it even clearer now. harry’s soft mop of unruly hair, the long and firm lines of his body, his knobby knees, his long fingers, his perfect teeth, his smile, his  _ laugh.  _

he realizes it then - but before he can properly analyze what he’s about to do, the words come flying out. 

“i love you too!” 

he practically yells it, judging from harry’s slight jump. draco blushes, hard, as his words wash over harry. the boy practically grows, his smile growing by the second. the silence continues - with draco staring steadfastly down at his lap and harry staring at him incredulously, his green eyes boring a hole in the side of his head.

harry makes the move first, obviously - reaching over and gently grasping draco’s chin in his hand. by the time he turns, harry is already there, pushing their lips together. as they kiss, harry cups draco’s face with his large hands - it’s familiar and comfortable and practically sends a tremble down his spine. 

“you love me,” harry murmurs when he finally pulls away for a moment. “i love you and you love me,” 

the laugh that bursts from draco’s chest is pure nerves, but it feels good nonetheless. 

“yes,” he says softly, recapturing harry’s lips for just a second. “i love you so much.” 

they finally pull away after what feels like hours - but over the console, their fingers stay laced. they sit in silence outside of the park, enjoying each other’s company and holding hands securely. 

outside of the car, miles away - their classmates are having the time of their lives. they drink, and jump, and grind, and absorb every moment of their fleeting childhood that they can.  however, as far as harry and draco are concerned: there is nothing in the world that matters more than this - than the two hands, laced together over the center console of a car. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hey! 
> 
> thanks 4 reading, i hope u enjoyed :D
> 
> \- is it obvious i've never been to a party? maybe if i had i wouldn't be writing fanfiction at 1:30 am hehe  
> \- WHY do i only post in the middle of the night pls 
> 
> all kudos, comments, and bookmarks are heavily appreciated!
> 
> thx!!!!! <3


End file.
